Classic Albums: Sunday, 22 May - On-demand (puAQL0odeQ)

On their third album Echolalia, Melbourne’s Something For Kate put themselves through the wringer and cemented their standing as one of the country’s finest bands.

Paul Dempsey battled a distressing bout of writer’s block in the making of this album.

Luckily, bassist Steph Ashworth and drummer Clint Hyndman had the good sense that some time out was in order and convinced Paul to head off on a trip to Thailand. The change of scenery worked.

Dempsey wrote 'Monsters' in about 20 minutes.

"It's a really rare thing," he told triple j. "The words just came out in one piece, in one complete page, and the music was just there. It was a song about getting over your self-doubt. As soon as I stopped thinking about it, as soon as I stopped being a songwriter, it came. So after that, we came home and wrote about 20 songs."

As soon as I stopped thinking about it, as soon as I stopped being a songwriter, it came.

Paul Dempsey

Dempsey’s lyrics on Echolalia delve deep, the words are delivered with a certain anxiousness, while the melodies mould and shift the tone of the emotion at unexpected moments. It was a record that proved Something For Kate could make records that they could be proud of, say things that are meaningful to them but could engage a broad audience too.

With eloquent lyrics such as 'Eternity is a Policy/Infinity is a Reality from album closer 'White', you know you’re in the hands of intelligent and lasting musical companions.